Police have launched an investigation into British comedian Russell Brand after a number of ‘non-recent’ sexual offence allegations were made against the comedian.

 

The Metropolitan Police said it was probing accusations against the 48-year-old comedian.

 

The comic-turned-political activist was accused earlier this month of multiple offences following an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.

 

On Saturday Brand, who has vehemently denied all the allegations against him, thanked his supporters for ‘questioning’ the allegations of rape and sexual assault made against him.

 

Today the Met said it had received allegations of offences in London and elsewhere in the country and would investigate these, while offering specialist support to all women who made them.

The investigation is being carried out by detectives in the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command, led by Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy.

Supt Furphy said: ‘We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us.

 

‘We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take and I want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.’

 

A Met spokesman added: ‘There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

 

‘Anyone who wants to report an offence to the police should contact us on 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.’

Over the last week, several women have come forward to make allegations against the comedian which they claim happened at the height of his fame.

 

The shocking allegations, said to have occurred between 2003 and 2013, include the alleged rape of a woman at his home in Los Angeles and the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old schoolgirl.

Brand denied the accusations claiming all of his relationships had been consensual.

 

He had remained silent on the allegations of predatory and abusive behaviour first made by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches last Saturday.

 

In a short video, posted tonight to Instagram, X, formally known as Twitter and YouTube he said: ‘Hello there you awakening wonders, obviously it’s been an extraordinary and distressing week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information that you have been presented with.

‘By now, you’re probably aware that the British government has asked big tech platforms to censor our online content and that some online platforms have complied with that request.

‘What you may not know is that this happens in the context of the online safety bill which is a piece of UK legislation that grants sweeping surveillance and censorship powers and it’s a law that’s already been passed.’

 

He added: ‘I also don’t imagine that you’ve heard of the trusted news initiative and now, as often is the case when a word like trusted is used as part of an acronym to describe an unelected body, trust is the last thing you should be offering.

 

‘The trusted news initiative is a collaboration between big tech and legacy media organisations to target, patrol, choke and shut down independent media organisations, like this one.’

On Thursday, another woman, named ‘Olivia’ to protect her identity’, came forward alleging that Brand had allegedly exposed himself to her in an office where BBC Los Angeles operated from in 2008.